The air is full of mist, and the sky is full of fog. Not exactly the night to drive far for dinner, so fortunately Pamplemousse Grille is in striking distance, and they are serving truffles on the menu.
The full menu is $300 for four courses, but I have a better idea. The Herbed Gnocchi in a Parmesan Cream Reduction with the Piedmont White Truffle and the ethereal, and unworldly 2009 Chene Bleu Viognier followed by a bunless Kobe Beef burger with truffled cheese and fries.
Made from high on the hillside in the town of Cresset, the all Viognier first came to my attention during a delightful lunch at the winery this past spring for an ambassadorial meeting to plan the 2012 International Grenache Day. It’s a lovely wine, with an exotic perfumed nose of honeysuckle and lavender, encased in white peach fruit. The wine is soft, with low and gentle acidity that takes a back seat to the fruit and spice. It is a lovely wine, and very different from more Northern Rhone viogniers, like those found in Condrieu. It has softer and more lighter mouthfeel, and is far more food friendly than most and pairs perfectly with the truffled Gnocchi. Possessing a long, lingering finish, this is a wine that has 4-6 more years of aging and likely a ten year Lu’s life ahead.
Long before it was sold to new owners, Chateau du Trignon was the high value Rhone winery that Kermit Lynch imported and actually made his own Cotes du Rhone and Gigondas wines. Then the Gigondas based Trignon was sold, Kermit found Les Pallieres and sought out another high value Rhone producer to import.
But back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, for me, Chateau du Trignon was dollar for dollar the best “go to” stalwarts in the cellar. So, as part of the 2000 or older, pull it out and open it up, the 2000 Trignon Cotes du Rhone was tonight’s red of choice. Made from Grenache and Syrah, the 10 plus years in the bottle and time in the cellar showed a cork with almost no degradation. It was, other than a kiss like lipstick touch on its bottom, simply pristine. As for what was in the bottle, well, lets start with the youthful color, cherry and raspberry bouquet and a blackberry flavor to start. There’s a nice dried cherry mid palate fruit explosion followed by a wild berry finish, so at age 12 the wine is clearly at a point of readiness that provides total enjoyment.